pigeonhole

enjoyed a nice meal here last night. the wine suggestion from the server was good, as were all the plates. my only criticism would be the chicken dish had thighs and drum sticks... i would prefer to have better cuts of meat, even if it means paying extra. 

i still prefer model milk and model citizen based mainly on their atmosphere, but this was a nice change and i will definitely come back.

after weeks of planning with 4 crazy schedules, we finally got a date. this time there was 4 of us food bloggers! sharron of la petitte shar , lisa of lemon lime lisa , kim of journey of wellness  and i decided to try pigeonhole. pigeonhole happened to be named canada’s best new restaurant by air canada enroute magazine. whether this is true to its title, we decided to give it a try.

air canada has recently released their best new restaurants list for 2015 and i was excited to hear that pigeonhole from calgary made it on the prestigious list. opening up earlier this year, pigeonhole is a great new restaurant addition to 17th ave perfect for those who love tapa styled dishes coupled with some great wine!atmosphere: modern dining area coupled with an old school flare reminiscent of a grand british tea room.food & wine: with so many amazing dishes on the menu it was hard to pick and choose what we wanted to try. luckily some of my friends had already been and insisted that we order the nori crumpets. it looks like a simple dish however the flavours truly blow you away. the butter is the star due to the blast of shrimp flavour when you bite in to it. the dish is decadent without being overwhelming and was probably one of my favorites that night.

yummy! finally got to try this place with jenny kimmy w and lisa nguyen! foodie 4 some hit pigeonhole ordering 8 plates. we chose 2 plates each and that was enough to satisfy us. each dish was very unique with all the ingredients meshing well. my favourite dish was the calamari - light and refreshing. the spaghetti squash was second. the restaurant itself was packed on a tuesday night. i definitely want to come back and try some more dishes. the price is pretty reasonable as the dishes are tapa style and geared towards sharing.

made reservations for this place and would recommend doing so if you plan to visit. the door is a little weird and tricky to find, it's on the side instead of in front on the sidewalk.

everything is like tapas style where you can order lots of different dishes and share. we had a group of 5 and i thought it was amazing that everything some how worked out in portion, but then realized on the bill later that they just added more to the dish to match the number of people we had at the table.. would have been nice if they notified us of the extra chargers before we started ordering things. it added up to become a quite expensive dinner and the prices on the menu meant nothing.

other than my complaint about lack of mentioning of prices by the server, the food was actually all really good and unique. definitely worth a try, but make sure your wallet is full when you come.

forgot to make reso's and it was busy but managed to get a spot at the bar. service was amazing. we were well taken care of by three gentlemen (2 bartenders and a server).

tapa style restaurant. we had: spag squash, tuna (one of my faves; so light and refreshing with the whipped yogurt), calamari (i liked the tostada); nori crumpets (one of my other faves; especially with the shrimp butter... mmmmm), beef (so tender and juicy and topped with some aoli and tomato jam), the ricotta dumplings (nice but kinda rich for me).

then we finished the meal with the panna cotta and pot de creme. the pot de creme was my favorite. the chocolate was smooth but not too rich. will be back!

it only took 65 minutes to get the server's attention, 70 minutes to get my first (and last) glass of water, 95 minutes to get my food, and 100 minutes to get my first (and last) drink. the food was phenomenal, but no good food can compensate for the complete lack of service. do yourself a service, take your money elsewhere.

finally got to check out this place and i have to say that i loved my experience here! i came here last friday around 5pm, right before it started to get busy. the ambiance is very quaint and lovely inside.

while looking at the menu, there were so many dishes that i wanted to try! unfortunately, we didn't get to try absolutely everything because we weren't that hungry. my recommendations would be the: eggplant baba ghanoush (something light and to get the taste buds stirring), halloumi cheese (it's goat cheese.. and although sheep/goat is something i tend to stray away from due to its gamey-ness, i couldn't taste the strong scent and returned to this dish for seconds.. and even thirds...), and the ricotta dumplings (something different and unique)! though our server did mention that they change up the menu quite often, so i'll have to make sure i return soon enough to ensure my fav. dishes are still there and also so i can try the things i missed this time around.

our server andrew was very attentive and informative. he was very approachable and even went on to explain how all the china's that pigeonhole used were bought individually, as there was no duplication of the same plates (cute!). while being friendly, he was not overbearing and made sure that we were still able to enjoy our conversation uninterrupted.

i will definitely return! the only downside to this tapas restaurant is that you have to ensure you don't come super hungry. you'll have to drop a number of bills before you can get full.

worth a visit! award winning restaurant delivers!
chef: justin leboe and his team recently won prestigious air canada enroute magazine best new restaurant 2015

* overall: highly recommend. delicious! tasty tapas.
* reservations: yes!
* service: friendly, knowledgeable, and personable staff. attentive without being intrusive. helpful to offer suggestions on menu, pairings with wine, descriptions of items brought to the table. special thanks to hanna.
* decor: tables close together. a little tight in some places.. did lend itself to chatting with people at nearby tables. 

* menu: bite size appetizers to share. suggested 5 - 6 items for couple. $10-$15 per item.
* wine: great selection of organic wines. glass and bottle.
* favorites: charred cabbage (house specialty), salted cod crepes, ricotta dumplings, grass fed beef. delicious. 
calamari - unusual and tasty. good but would not order again.
* desserts - mmm! chocolate pot de creme. 

note:
noise: previous reviews mentioned quite noisy plus music. heads up was helpful.
wish list: decaffeinated coffee. mentioned to manager. if more people mention perhaps will add to menu
                 minor: hook in bathroom for purses.

a very enjoyable evening. highly recommend it.

after being recently named canada's best new restaurant, i thought i would give this place a shot. first impressions: the interior is beautiful, romantic, and lively & the hostess/managers greeted us warmly. the waitress serving us was great, she was friendly, helpful, and very genuine. delicious is even an understatement to describe the food here, it was absolutely amazing. i would recommend the duck leg, the lamb tartare, and the salted cod crepes. the only thing i could say (if anything) is the restaurant is loud - but because that's out of their control it really has no other flaws in our dining experience. this place is very busy, so booking a reservation would be recommended!

went there with my hubby and another couple. the 4 of us really enjoyed it. we like this restaurant, it is different than original fancy dinning. been to many great restaurant in the city, this one definitely is a surprise. it is a tapas style but the food are special and different. really enjoyed it. service are great too.

not a fan. disappointed in a few areas. wine list: it is all organic, which is fine, but many of the wines were unknown to us and they refused to allow tastings. at up to $44 per glass, that seems somewhat arrogant. some of the tables are quite small for four people. the restaurant is incredibly loud. they do the whole small plates to share thing which is starting to get old. they really really push the charred cabbage. i love cabbage....and it was ok....i guess.... the service was that combination of arrogant and ignorant that i loathe. we actually opted to leave after we finished our dinner/small plates and headed down the block to cilantro where we had coffee and dessert in a far more pleasant atmosphere. if you do go, the cauliflower was the best dish we tried.

one of the best tapas places i've been to, namely because they have really mastered the idea of simple, yet delicious food. it's almost like eating at your grandma's place, if she were a world renowned chef.

best plates we had were the charred cabbage and the ricotta dumplings. so simple, but very very complex flavours that were absolutely delicious. every dish was a hit, which is sometimes rare at tapas restaurants.

the only big downfall, for myself personally, is the price. because they are sharing plates, you only really get one or two bites of some truly delicious food (which leaves my tastebuds sad) for a price that would typically get you a full meal. however, the food is so exceptional i really didn't mind the price; well worth it once in a while.

servers were also very friendly. we arrived a little early for our reservation and our table wasn't yet ready. they asked us to wait at the bar and were extremely attentive, helping us order drinks and even food before we moved to the table. that way when we were seated, food streamed out pretty quickly. the staff were also well informed about their menus and had great suggestions.

can't wait to go back!

one of the best meals i've had this year. partner and i had seven plates: watermelon with smoked tofu, cauliflower, ricotta dumplings, crepes stuffed with cod, veal, octopus, and cabbage. each was masterfully complex and not one wasn't delicious, but if i had to pick ones i'd order again they'd be the cauliflower (one of the best treatments of one of my favourite vegetables), the cod crepes and the cabbage... but ask me again if the menu shakes things up. service was absolutely perfect, smart, friendly, and the pacing of the dishes was very impressive given how complex managing this format is. so seven shared plates, two glasses of wine and one excellent village kölsch were $120. stunning deal, beautiful experience all around.

amazing food and service! each dish is interesting and flavourful. should have a much higher score! the patio is small but great for people watching. this may be my new favourite calgary restaurant